Speakers
Dawn Bedlivy
Chief, Office of Innovation
National Security Agency
Ms. Dawn V. Bedlivy, Esq. serves as the Chief, Office of Innovation in the National Security Agency's Research Directorate.
Ryan Benitez
Partner
Decisive Point
Ryan leads business operations and strategy for Decisive Point's early-stage portfolio of startups.
Dr. Daniel Biene
Leadership & Strategy
Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub
Daniel is a member of the German Army Reserve and serves on the Leadership & Strategy Team of the German Armed Forces Innovation Hub.
Katherine Brownson
Chief Operating Officer
S2 Ventures
Katherine is the CEO of a Venture Capital Fund focused on dual-use technology to drive defense innovation.
Lead Innovator on Quantum Technologies
UK Government
Technical lead within the Quantum Co-ordination Office which works across National Security to develop knowledge and capability on emerging quantum technologies.
Eveline Buchatskiy
Managing Partner
D3 VC
Eveline Buchatskiy has 10+ years of experience working with fast-growing startups.
Mike Butcher MBE
Editor-at-large
TechCrunch
Mike Butcher has been named one of the most influential journalists in European technology by several newspapers and magazines, including Wired.
Ben Colman
Co-Founder/CEO
Reality Defender
Ben Colman is CEO and Co-Founder of Reality Defender (realitydefender.com), the leading deepfake detection platform helping enterprises flag fraudulent users and content.
Blythe Crawford CBE
Commandant
Air and Space Warfare Centre, Royal Air Force
Air Commodore Crawford is the Commandant of the Air and Space Warfare Centre.
Jeff Crusey
Partner
7percent Ventures
Jeff is a former founder and deep tech VC in the US and UK/EU.
Caroline Daniel
Partner
Brunswick Group
Caroline Daniel is a partner in the London office, advising clients on strategic communications challenges, ranging from major crises, critical issues, technology IPOs to ongoing corporate reputation building.
Catherine Day
Deputy Director
Cabinet Office, U.K. Government
Catherine is a British Civil Servant currently serving in the Cabinet Office at the UK government’s Joint Data and Analysis Centre.
Sir Chris Deverell
Chair
Deverell Innovation Ventures
Sir Chris Deverell had a 40 year career in the British Army, culminating in the rank of full General (4*).
Dr. Rich Drake
General Manager (UK & Europe)
Anduril Industries UK
Rich Drake is the General Manager of Anduril Industries UK, a defence technology business specialising in robotics and AI.
Carlos Espinal
Managing Partner
Seedcamp
Carlos is Managing Partner at Seedcamp, the leading European seed fund launched in 2007 with a belief that European entrepreneurs have the power to compete on a global scale.
Darrell Etherington
Head of Network Development
OMERS Ventures
Darrell Etherington is a distinguished technology journalist with an extensive background in reporting on innovative tech trends and emerging sectors.
Karl Eze
Chief Executive Officer
Point-Zenith
Karl Eze is CEO of Point-Zenith, delivering on contracts to the UK MOD and Defence Industry clients on drones.
Mikolaj Firlej
Founder and Managing Partner
Expeditions Fund
Dr Mikolaj Firlej is a co-founder and General Partner at Expeditions Fund, a venture capital fund investing in early-stage defence and dual-use companies building the future of security in Europe.
Jeannette zu Fürstenberg
Managing Director, Head of Europe
General Catalyst
Dr. Jeannette zu Fürstenberg is Managing Director of the global VC firm General Catalyst (GC) and Founding Partner of La Famiglia VC.
Tom Garnett
Co-Founder & CEO
Company in Stealth
Tom is the Co-Founder and CEO of company currently in stealth.
Dr. Melanie Garson
Cyber & Tech Geopolitics Lead
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Dr. Melanie Garson is the Cyber Policy and Tech Geopolitics Lead at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Arun Gupta
CEO & Board Member
NobleReach Foundation
Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach, is a venture capitalist and is active in the emerging technology, entrepreneurship, public policy, and venture finance communities.
Robert Harper MBE
Founder and CEO
Rowden
Rob Harper founded Rowden in 2016, and today it is one of the UK's fastest growing businesses.
Kweilen Hatleskog
Partner
PA Consulting
Kweilen Hatleskog is a Partner at PA Consulting and a Board Director at Logpoint.
Khaled Helioui
Partner
Plural
Khaled is a partner at Plural, the early-stage investment fund that backs the most ambitious founders on a mission to change the world through technology.
Jyoti Hirani-Driver
Chief Operating Officer
DIANA
Jyoti Hirani-Driver has been the Chief Operating Officer of NATO DIANA since January 2024, and is responsible for overseeing the Accelerator Programme, establishing business performance and risk management, and identifying and implementing improvements across the organisation.
Leah Hodgson
Senior VC Reporter
PitchBook
Leah Hodgson is a London-based senior reporter for PitchBook covering venture capital across Europe and the Middle East.
Lt. Gen. Scott Howell
Catalyst Advisor
General Catalyst
Lieutenant General Scott Howell retired from the United States Air Force in August 2021 after a 34- year career, and he is now an advisor for General Catalyst.
Kevin Hurlburtt
CEO & Cofounder
Project K
Kevin Hurlbutt, PhD, is an electrochemical engineer and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer and cofounder at Project K Energy, Inc.
Hugo Jammes
Managing Partner
NSSIF
Current Managing Partner and Head of Investment at NSSIF- investing to enhance and advance the UK and Allies national security and defence capabilities.
Shashank Joshi
Defence Editor
The Economist
Shashank Joshi is Defence Editor at The Economist, where he covers a wide range of military and security issues including war, nuclear weapons, intelligence and cyber security.
Jeremy Kahn
Fortune
AI Editor
Jeremy Kahn is an award-winning journalist and the author of Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to Our Superpowered Future.
Paul Kwan
Managing Director
General Catalyst
Paul is a managing director at General Catalyst, a full-stack venture capital firm whose mission is to invest in powerful, positive change that endures and with an intentional focus on responsible innovation.
Srdjan Kovacevic
Chief Executive Officer
Orqa FPV
Srdjan is a Co-Founder and CEO at Orqa, World's #1 First Person View (FPV) video headset company.
Alexa Liautaud
Investor
General Catalyst
Alexa Liautaud is an investor at General Catalyst, a venture capital firm that partners with founders from seed through growth stages and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time.
H. E. Mr Viljar Lubi
Ambassador of Estonia
Embassy of the Republic of Estonia
Since 2021, Mr Lubi has been the Ambassador of Estonia to the United Kingdom.
Jonathan Luff
Chief of Staff
Recorded Future
Jonathan is the Chief of Staff and Chief of Global Affairs at Recorded Future.
Ingrid Lunden
International Editor
TechCrunch
Ingrid has been writing about technology and how it intersects with our world for more than 20 years.
Dr. Chris Magazzeni
Investor
IQ Capital / UK DIN
Chris is an investor at IQ Capital with a focus on Aerospace & Defence, and Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the UK Defence Investor Network.
Nabil Ben Mahdi
Business Development Manager
European Investment Fund
Nabil Ben Mahdi is the European Investment Fund's Business Development Manager focusing on niche thematics.
Iain Martin
Senior Editor
Forbes
Iain Martin is a senior editor with Forbes and covers startups, tech and venture capital.
Nathan Michael
CTO
Shield AI
Nathan Michael is Shield AI’s Chief Technology Officer and a former Associate Research Professor in the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).
Prof. Ashley Montanaro
Co-Founder and CEO
Phasecraft
Ashley cofounded Phasecraft with Toby Cubitt and John Morton to develop breakthrough quantum algorithms to get the most out of near-term quantum computers.
Dame Fiona Murray
Professor & Associate Dean of Innovation
MIT
Professor Dame Fiona Murray CBE DCMG is the Associate Dean of Innovation at the MIT School of Management and William Porter (1967) Professor of Entrepreneurship.
Rob Murray
Chief Innovation Officer
Saab, Inc.
Rob doesn’t believe in no-win situations - He’s built a career working alongside incredible people to achieve the seemingly impossible.
Nicholas Nelson
Partner
MD One Ventures
Experienced aerospace, defence, and national security operator with 17 years sector experience across intelligence, defence, and venture capital.
Matt O'Connell
Operating Partner
DCVC
Matt focuses on helping companies in the defense, intelligence and space industries grow through strategic advice and introductions.
Angela Owen OBE
Founder Women in Defence UK
Women in Defence UK
Angela’s Army career spanned 30 years and included tours in the UK, Germany and NI during the ‘Troubles’.
Jason Pontin
General Partner
DCVC
Jason is a member of DCVC’s investment team and leads the firm’s commuÂniÂcaÂtors as they tell the stories of portfolio companies.
John Ridge CBE
Director of Defence Innovation
UK Ministry of Defence
Brigadier John Ridge CBE is the Director of Defence Innovation at the Ministry of Defence.
Sir Matthew Rycroft
Permanent Secretary
Home Office
Sir Matthew Rycroft KCMG CBE is the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office.
Alex Schmitt
Partner
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Alexander joined Lightspeed’s European investment team in 2022 and is primarily focused on making investments in the B2B and FinTech sectors.
Patrick Schneider-Sikorsky
Partner
NATO Innovation Fund
Patrick leads investments in CEE and capacity and ecosystem building at the NATO Innovation Fund.
Andrew J Scott
Managing Partner
7percent Ventures
Serial entrepreneur turned Founding Partner 7percent Ventures, investing in pre/seed hardware deeptech and transformative software startups for >10 years.
Kadi Silde
Chief Development Officer
Starburst Aerospace
Kadi Silde is the Chief Development Officer at Starburst Aerospace
Senior Representative
National Cyber Security Centre
NCSC supports the most critical organisations in the UK, the wider public sector, industry, SMEs and the general public.
Dr. Gundbert Scherf
Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Helsing
Dr. Gundbert Scherf is the co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing, a deep tech company in the security and defence sector.
Vijay Sekhara
Program Director
ScaleWolf
Vijay serves as the Program Director for ScaleWolf, an accelerator and venture capital fund based out of Lithuania that supports dual-use startups aligned with NATO emerging and disruptive technologies with strategic partnerships, customer discovery, and investment opportunities.
Ash Sharma
Senior Analyst
McKinsey & Company
Ash is a senior analyst at McKinsey & Company within the Aerospace & Defense practice, where she leverages her broad expertise across the space value chain to specialize in space strategy/due diligence and defense prime operations.
Danielle Sheridan
Defence Editor
The Daily Telegraph
After five years she moved to The Daily Telegraph, Danielle Sheridan becoming a political journalist, most recently covering Defence full time since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Nicola Sinclair
General Partner
Twin Track Ventures
Nicola is the General Partner of Twin Track Ventures, a London-based pre-seed and seed deeptech fund focused on dual-use technologies.
Jacqueline Tame
Operating Partner
Playground Global
Jacqueline is an Operating Partner at Playground Global, an early-stage, deep tech venture capital firm, where she is responsible for educating and advising Playground and its Portfolio Companies on international, national, and state government policy and helping craft strategies on non-dilutive funding pathways, dual-use market opportunities, and regulatory positioning.
Jaanus Tamm
CEO, Founder
Defsecintel Solutions
Jaanus Tamm is a technology enthusiast with a long term (15 years) experiences in the tech and defence industry.
John Thornhill
Tech Columnist, Founder Sifted
Financial Times
John Thornhill is the Innovation Editor at the Financial Times writing an award-winning weekly column on the impact of technology.
Eric Traupe
Operating Partner
Lightspeed
Eric is a former public sector senior executive with 30+ years of combined experience in the CIA and the US Marine Corps.
Duncan Turner
General Partner & Managing Director
SOSV & HAX
Duncan is a General Partner at SOSV, and the Global Managing Director of HAX, the world’s first and largest VC-backed program for hard tech, based in Newark, NJ.
General Sir Roly Walker KCB DSO ADC Gen
Chief of the General Staff
British Army
General Sir Roly Walker is the Chief of the General Staff, the professional head of the British Army.
Jack Wang
Managing Director
Project A Ventures
Jack is a deep-tech investor and leads the European Resilience focus at Project A Ventures. Project A is a pan-European VC and early backers in European DefenceTech start-ups like Quantum Systems, ARX Robotics and Labrys Technologies.
Clayton Williams
Managing Director
IQT International
Clayton Williams is the Managing Director of IQT International UK Ltd., where he manages IQT’s relationship with the UK government and is responsible for identifying, investing, and guiding IQT’s portfolio of deep tech start-up technology across Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
George Williamson
CEO
HMGCC
George Williamson, CEO of HMGCC, the engineering specialists at the heart of the UK's National Security
Dr. Ilana Wisby
Deep Tech Executive
Company in Stealth
Dr. Ilana Wisby is a deep tech entrepreneur, executive, speaker, advisor, and champion for D&I in technology and leadership.
Viktoriia Yaremchuk
CEO & Co-Founder
Farsight Vision
Viktoriia Yaremchuk is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, researcher (PhD), startup founder, manager with the experience in various markets and cross-cultural communication.